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A judge dismissed the first-degree murder charge against Wayne Harold Mahar Sr. on March 29, 2024, after finding him incompetent to stand trial in the shooting death of his neighbor, Vincent Reames, in Blaine, Whatcom County, Washington. Mahar was never tried or convicted of any offense.

Judge Evan Jones dismissed the charge in Whatcom County Superior Court without prejudice, meaning it could be refiled, and ordered a five-day involuntary civil commitment evaluation at Western State Hospital. No verdict or ruling on the self-defense claim was made. No refiling of the charge and no outcome of the commitment evaluation has been reported.

Mahar's defense team raised competency concerns from the start. His wife said his thinking had declined for about a year before his arrest and worsened in jail. Records showed a seizure in December 2022, and jail staff noted that he sometimes believed he was on a military base. A court-ordered inpatient evaluation began at Western State Hospital on March 1, 2024. At a March 26, 2024 hearing, defense psychologist Alexander Patterson and state evaluator Roman Lokhmotov both testified that Mahar was unfit to stand trial, citing a likely neurological disorder that included dementia. The prosecutor argued he did not meet the legal standard.

Mahar was 76 in October 2023 and lived in the Maple Leaf Mobile Home Park. Reames was 67. Court documents say Mahar told detectives he was a Vietnam War veteran and former police officer; he was also reported to have served in the Air Force and spent a few years as a police officer. According to the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office, deputies had responded to at least four neighborhood disputes between the men since November 2021, none resulting in criminal charges. On November 17, 2022, Mahar filed a noise complaint against Reames and allegedly told a deputy he wished he could just kill him. The deputy heard no noise and cautioned Mahar about making threats.

At about 4 p.m. on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, a 911 caller reported that Mahar had shot Reames with a shotgun at the park, in the 4600 block of East Street. Court documents allege Reames was unarmed, standing by his vehicle on his own property about 30 feet from Mahar's porch. They allege Mahar went inside, loaded a shotgun, returned and fired once, hitting Reames in the chest. Deputies found Reames face down in front of his home and attempted CPR. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A neighbor who came outside asked Mahar whether he had shot Reames. He answered "Yeah." Another neighbor told investigators Mahar had said the day before that he would kill Reames, and that she had never seen Reames threaten the Mahar family. Mahar's wife said she did not witness the shooting. She told investigators Mahar said Reames had come onto the porch and threatened to kill him, and that she took the shotgun from Mahar. He was arrested without incident.

Two detectives interviewed Mahar hours after the shooting, after he had been drinking. A blood alcohol reading about four hours after the shooting was reported as .189 percent; he said he had one shot of alcohol beforehand. According to court documents, Mahar said Reames had harassed and threatened him but could not give details. He said Reames did not physically attack him, deserved to be dead, and that he had wanted to kill Reames beforehand. He did not describe feeling in imminent danger but maintained it was self-defense. He was booked on suspicion of first-degree murder, and bail was set at $2 million at his first court appearance on October 5, 2023.

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Part 2 of 2 of the recording described above.